1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to ticket sales and vending machines, and more particularly to a customer operated ticket sales and vending system which will accept legal tender, credit media, and negotiable instruments for various events and purchases, and produces a visual display relative to the respective purchase during the transaction.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the past, the public had to purchase their tickets at central locations that were operated by employees. The employee was required to help the customer choose an event, venue, and seat, then had to handle the monetary transactions for the tickets. These ticketing centers are often located in stores that are not related to the ticket service and they are manned by store personnel that do not get paid extra for selling tickets. Customers frequently receive poor service from an employee who really has no desire to sell tickets.
Most manned ticket centers only sell tickets to musical, theatrical, and sporting events and usually will accept only cash and credit cards for purchases. Thus, when a customer purchases a ticket he has to travel far, pay more money, and has inferior service provided to him in actual seat selection.
There are several patents which disclose various ticket vending systems and apparatus.
Wahlberg, U.S. Pat. No. 3,705,384 discloses a multiple transaction business machine which selects a plurality of transactions, totals the cost of the transactions, and determines the value of payment. The machine receives and validates legal tender, credit media, and negotiable instruments, validates the identity of the purchaser, and vends tickets. The system has a remote data link for credit verification and purchaser identification.
Trippe et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,643 discloses a travel information and booking data processing system wherein airline reservation computers are connected to remotely located data processing terminals in travel agents' offices and also to a separate computer having a database containing detailed information on available cruises offered by subscribing cruise line operators.
Davies et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,818,854 discloses an automatic ticket handling machine adapted for use as a ticket vending station which has a display screen, a telephone receiver-speaker unit, and a credit card reader unit. A sheet handling mechanism within the machine receives processed tickets from a printer in a holding bin which can either dump them or be shifted to present them to a user automatically when the user opens an access door on the machine.
Dainekoff et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,931,932 discloses an electronic clearing system used for wait-listed customer airline reservations which has one or more information storage devices from which transactions can be generated, at least one forwarding and storage station for requesting a desired transaction, and an information processing unit for evaluating requested items with respect to the stored information. The information processing unit compiles a list of uncompleted transactions and queries the information storage devices for the availability of items to fill each transaction on the list.
Hirahara, U.S. Pat. No. 4,984,170 discloses an automatic ticket vending machine having a memory for storing a first fair or fee and second fair or fee, a calendar means for storing days and times, clock means for measuring day and time, and ticket issuing means for issuing tickets at the first fair or fee on a specific day and time and at a second fair or fee on a different day and time.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general, and these patents in particular by an automated ticket sales and dispensing system which is customer operated to provide tickets for various entertainment events, travel, and other products and services such as lottery tickets, gift certificates, raffle tickets, moneygrams, and in some areas, off-track betting without the aid of an employee. The system includes a terminal which has a monitor with an interactive touch-sensitive display screen which will show the customer a view of the stage or field as seen from the seating area of the seats which have been selected prior to the purchase with the ability to accept or select another seat. The system is menu driven and allows a customer to select and purchase tickets by touching the screen in response to messages displayed on the screen. Verbal messages in one or more languages may be given along with visual messages. The system will accept payment in the form of cash, credit cards, bank debit cards, and local personal checks. A video cassette player in the terminal continuously shows upcoming events and attractions in the area and advertising for local clubs and restaurants during periods when no transactions are being made. The terminal may be placed at various convenient locations and is operational around the clock for the convenience of ticket purchasers.